Bruce Williams, DVM ([log in to unmask]) says:
         In eight years of practice - I have never seen a person who is allergic
 to ferrets.  They appear to be hypo-allergenic, at least in my experience.  My
 wife Colleen is extremely allergic to cats but has absolutely no problem with
 ferrets.  I would venture to say that most other owners with cat allergies will
 tell you a similar story.....
 
and Laura L'Heureux ([log in to unmask]) says:
 
 About ferret allergies -- Dr. Kawasaki claims that ferrets are almost
 hypoallergenic.  I believe he may be right as far as ferret dander (i.e.
 inhalant allergy -- they shouldn't make you sneeze!). ...
 
My wife Clare is definitely allergic to ferrets, so much so that I have to do
essentially all of the ferret handling.  They cause her to wheeze and if they
scratch her the scratches swell up quite a lot.  They also some times make her
sneeze.  She is also allergic to cats but the symptoms are somewhat different,
cats make her eyes burn.
 
I myself am only mildly allergic to ferrets.  At places of large concentration
of ferrets (like ferret shows) I get a burning feeling in the nose. A scratch
tends to swell up, but only mildly.
 
Bill Sebok      Univ. of Maryland, Astronomy    Internet: [log in to unmask]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0648]